The effect of foreign aid on economic growth in （外国援助对经济增长的影响）.pdf

Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies The effect of foreign aid on economic growth in developing countries E. M. Ekanayake Bethune-Cookman University Dasha Chatrna University of Florida Abstract This paper analyzes the effects of foreign aid on the economic growth of developing countries. The study uses annual data on a group of 85 developing countries covering Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean for the period 1980-2007. The hypothesis that foreign aid can promote growth in developing countries was explored. This hypothesis was tested using panel data series for foreign aid, while accounting for regional differences in Asian, African, Latin American, and the Caribbean countries as well as the differences in income levels. While the findings of previous studies are generally mixed, the results of this study also indicate that foreign aid has mixed effects on economic growth in developing countries. Keywords: Foreign aid, economic growth, developing countries. Foreign Aid and Growth, Page 1 Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies Introduction The role of foreign aid in the growth process of developing countries has been a topic of intense debate. Foreign aid is an important topic given its implications for poverty reduction in developing countries. Previous empirical studies on foreign aid and economic growth generate mixed results. For example, Papanek (1973), Dowling and Hiemenz (1982), Gupta and Islam (1983), Hansen and Tarp (2000), Burnside and Dollar (2000), Gomanee, et al. (2003), Dalgaard et al. (2004), and Karras (2006), find evidence for positive impact of forei